Optical disks represent a significant percentage of the market for data storage of software as well as of photographic, video, and/or audio data. Typically, optical disks have data patterns embedded thereon that can be read from one or both side(s) of the disk, and a graphic display printed on the other side of the disk. The data readable side, or data side, of the disk contains a spiral track of variably spaced depressions, called pits, separated by undepressed surface called land. A low-powered laser is focused onto the spiral track. The height difference between pits and lands creates a phase shift in the reflected beam that may be measured and translated into usable data. Various optical disk formats are currently available such as CD, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R and DVD-RW. Other optical disk formats are also available.
In order to identify the contents of the optical disk, printed patterns or graphic display information can be printed on the non-data side of the disk. The patterns or graphic display can be both decorative and provide pertinent information about the data content of the disk. In the past, commercial labeling has been routinely accomplished using screen-printing methods. While this method can provide a wide variety of label content, it tends to be cost ineffective for production of less than about 400 disks because of the fixed costs associated with preparing a stencil or combination of stencils and printing the desired pattern or graphic display.
In recent years, the significant increase in use of optical disks for data storage by consumers have increased the demand to provide customized labels to reflect the content of the optical disk. Most consumer available methods of labeling are limited to either handwritten descriptions and preprinted labels which may be affixed to the disk but may also adversely affect the disk performance upon spinning at high speeds.